Here are Patch's picks for the top films of 2010:

10. Never Let Me Go: Taking place in a dystopian version of Britain, the film shows Ruth, Kathy and Tommy spending their childhood at the same peculiar English boarding school and later developing a love triangle. The three are actually scientific specimens created to donate their organs to sickly patients, and they must deal with what they are.

Despite the film having a story so distinct and not directly relatable, we are still swept up by it because the film is essentially a tale about finding yourself in the world, and accepting your identity. Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley are uniformly dedicated to their characters in this project. The film ponders what defines a soul, and what or who is capable of loving. It carries the themes of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from a new vantage point that is equally as timeless and essential.

 9. Leaves of Grass: Edward Norton gives one of his most engaging performances yet, as he plays twin brothers Bill and Brady Kincaid. One is an Ivy League college professor and the other focuses his intellect on producing and selling high-quality marijuana. Professor Bill Kincaid is lured back home to Oklahoma to help his brother take down a local drug lord.

This offbeat, darkly funny film by Tim Blake Nelson is a labor of love that's a masterpiece in its own absurd way. Leaves of Grass is an elegantly philosophical film with a drug scene backdrop that deals with redemption and religion in enlightening ways. Norton delivers, as both Bill and Brady, and is the perfect artist to lead Nelson's tale. The brain of this film pumps like a heart, and leaves us with a very much needed intellectual high. 

8. Four Lions: Four Lions is a daringly dark comedy concerning a group of British jihadists that idiotically try to become suicide bombers. Two enroll in a terrorist training camp, some train crows to become kamikazes or flying suicide bombers, and others try to convert to Islam. All of these activities are taken up so they might reach their goal of becoming martyrs.

Can a serious subject matter be converted to a laughing matter? Well, there was Dr. Strangelove in 1964 and now there's Four Lions in 2010, proving to us that there is humor in everything. This intelligent satire of wannabe martyrs deconstructs the menacing notoriety of real-life suicide bombers. It's an entertaining comedy, as well as an essential film-viewing because of the underlying uneasiness of projecting a serious subject matter in a humorous light. Four Lions provides unique and fearless comedy, unrivaled by any other comedic effort this past year.

7. The Town: Doug MacRay is a career criminal in Boston, looking to pull out of the dangerous world he's called home for so long before it's too late. MacRay falls for Krista, a bank manager that was MacRay's former hostage, and wants to start a new chapter of his life with her. However, he is pulled back in by his crew, especially his best friend James Coughlin, to execute one more heist.

Ben Affleck proves that he is a director to reckon with, as he serves up a familiar crime story that bites with a new set of teeth. The film deals with the criminal honor code, a clashing of loyalties, and conflict with one's conscience that all comes with the life of modern-day pirates. A dramatic thriller with an old-fashion feel, The Town is a throwback to classic and slick crime dramas, such as Pulp Fiction and Heat; yet, it still stands on its own. In 2010, there hasn't been a crime drama as engaging and entertaining as this film.

6. 127 Hours: Based on the real-life story of the thrill-seeking mountain climber Aron Ralston, this film captures the horror of Ralston being pinned by a boulder for over five days in 2003. Danny Boyle directs this masterful film, and James Franco gives a brilliant performance that's superbly authentic.

127 Hours is a cathartic film-going experience that you will not soon forget. We are placed in Ralston's shoes, a man who is somewhat arrogant yet is an admirably courageous adrenaline junkie. The entire film is a wholly focused, claustrophobic character piece, as we witness Franco bare his soul on the silver screen. The relationship between the audience and Alston becomes so intimate that the film-going experience is cleansing.

5. True Grit: Mattie Ross is a 14-year-old girl looking to avenge the murder of her father with the help of trigger-happy U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Tom Chaney is the man sporting the red target, and the treacherous journey begins with Cogburn armed with his steel six-shooters and Mattie armed with her tyrannical tongue.

The Coen brothers deliver their most mainstream film to date without losing their artistic fire, producing a gritty, comedic take on the Western revenge flick and injecting it with their own unique style. Jeff Bridges as Cogburn is a wrecking force of deadpan humor and intrepid heart, with a side of whiskey. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, playing Mattie, is a firecracker of an actress, more than holding her own against veteran players. Overall, the film is one of the best Westerns to come through in a long time, showcasing iconic performances, and mixing laughs with bloody triumph to make one mean cinematic meal.

4. Inception: An action-thriller with a brain, Inception follows Cobb, wonderfully played by Leonardo Dicaprio, the jaded leader of an extraction team that infiltrates people's dreams to steal the protected secrets of the mind. Cobb is given a chance at redemption by taking on his most difficult job yet: planting an idea into someone's mind, aka inception.

If a dream is just our imagination's version of reality, is there a difference between the two? Christopher Nolan's exhilarating film puzzle delves into the clash of reality and dreams, placing audiences in a complex, layered world. Inception is one of the best of 2010 and is destined to be a classic because of the intelligent questions it brings up about the definition of reality, and its courage to allow viewers to take responsibility to form their own answers.

3. Black Swan: Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayer, a perfectionist still wrapped around her mother's finger, who is looking to blossom in the competitive world of ballet. Gaining the lead role in Swan Lake, she starts to mentally unravel, getting in touch with her darker side to play the dual role of the Swan Queen and the Black Swan.

Darren Aronofsky delivers a film that is in contention for the top slot in his filmography, with this beautifully dark character study. No other film this year has placed us in such a gorgeously bizarre point of view or has triggered genuine fear. Natalie Portman as Nina leaves it all on the blood-stained floor, delivering a performance that will linger in your spine well after the credits roll. Aronofsky has three stories on his palette here: the ballet competition, the over-protective mother, and a woman's obsession with her dark nature. The canvas is magnificently painted with these three stories, creating a feverish piece of art that shows us the dangers of our pure endeavors, as well as the beauty of the dark journey toward them.

2. Toy Story 3: For those who met Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang back in 1995, this film is a wonderful way to say goodbye to some fantastic friends. Andy is on the verge of leaving for college, and Woody and company are accidentally shipped to a day care center where things are not what they seem. They have to conjure up an escape plan and make it back to Andy before he hits the open road to adulthood.

It's no secret that the Toy Story films are absolutely amazing, and with Toy Story 3, Pixar delivers once again. We are brought back once more to a time when our imagination was strong enough to protect us from reality, and where toys were some of our best friends. Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the familiar faces are all dealing with the changes of Andy growing up and their new situation at the day care center, and it's all so relative. No film this year is as truly heartwarming, while simultaneously being a blast to watch, as Toy Story 3.  Rating: To infinity and beyond out of 10. 

1. The Social Network: The controversial birth of the social networking website Facebook is the unfiltered tale told by the always-reliable David Fincher. Super geek Mark Zuckerberg, embodied in the film by Jesse Eisenberg, is the main focus, as we are taken on his complex journey of financial success through capitalizing on our natural urges to simply connect with one another.

Fincher's film is surprisingly engrossing, even if it's completely dialogue driven. Aaron Sorkin provides a script so sharp it cuts deep and the stinging sensations last. This film is vital, defining our generation by showing us how one of the most socially dysfunctional people developed the quintessential social networking site. Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg give amazing performances, as they display the sacrifice of one friendship for the rest of the world to "connect" with each other.

Honorable Mentions:

Ghost Writer
Fish Tank
Scott Pilgrim v. the World
The Fighter

Gems to Be Released:
Blue Valentine- Dec. 31 (limited)
Biutiful- Dec. 29 (limited)